SoZo Devotionals: Peter

Hey, SoZo!

HAPPY EASTER!

Next Sunday morning, we will be continuing our study of Peter.  This week's devotional passages will be taken from our lesson this Sunday ... so perhaps you can read them this week and have some thoughts for our discussion???  I think so ... I hope so at least. ;)  Have a wonderful week!  Take some time to think about the POWER of Jesus' resurrection this week.  God's NOT dead!  He is ALIVE!  And He works in and through us by the POWER of His HOLY SPIRIT!  SINCE Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, we have LIFE and POWER to live for Him!  Wahoo!  That is something to get excited about!  I hope y'all will focus on how YOU can LIVE for Him this week.  Love you all!

For each day's passage, READ it (haha! duh!), and then write down the facts it presents that give us confidence to trust in Jesus.

Sunday, April 20th - Matthew 14:22-33

Monday, April 21st - John 10:27-30

Tuesday, April 22nd - Romans 8:28-39

Wednesday, April 23rd - Philippians 4:12-13

Thursday, April 24th - Hebrews 1:1-4

Friday, April 25th - Hebrews 4:14-16

Saturday, April 26th - Hebrews 13:5-8

And don't forget to practice ... practice spending time with God THROUGHOUT your days ... practice prayer ... practice serving.  When we commit our TIME to the Lord ... inviting Him into our days, He really does CHANGE OUR LIVES! :)

My kids :)

Gosh.  I never blog.  I said I would blog more in 2014 ... and no.  Unless you count the devotionals for my SoZo-ers. ;)  Oh well.  So I'm not a true blogger.  That's okay.  One thing I am is a stalker!  Haha!  I was creepin' on people on Facebook all evening.  Okay, creepin' sounds ... well, creepy.  But I was just seeing how the folks on my friends list are doing ... people from high school mostly.  It's so fun to see who's gotten married and who has kids and look at their pictures occasionally.  ... We're all grown up! ... And then I was reading Emily's (The Thought Spot) and Maggie's (Raising an Ewok) blogs.  They have such beautiful kidos and beautiful families.  It's just so much fun!  I'm sure it is extremely difficult at times ... but they both excel at being parents and loving their husbands and kids.  And they both talk about how the rewards are soooo much greater than the difficulties. ... Darrell and I have been talking about starting a family for months now.  Only God knows when He's gonna bring a baby our way.  But it could happen any day now. ;)  We shall wait and see! :):):)

But until that day ... here are some of my other kids ...

In the above picture, we went to see the new Christian movie that's out, God's NOT Dead.  We had such a great time, and the movie was so cool!

In this picture, I'm making a lame face while everyone else is excited because they told me we were doing the Josh face ... and we weren't!  Josh (far left) has an awesome stone face that he gives at any given time (except this picture, apparently).  He's so nonchalant yet piercing with his facial expressions.  He's such a fun guy with tons of energy, but he's not one to mess with ... and his famed facial expression proves it.  He is a camo, huntin, gun-lover kind of guy after all.  But anyways ... his "Josh face", as we all call it, looks only a tiny bit like the face I'm making in this picture (his is way better!).  Haha!

These are our beloved teenagers (and college-agers)!  We are in love with them and love them like they are our own!

SoZo Devotionals: Made to Crave

Hey, all!  Sorry I didn't get any devos posted last week.  We went to North Carolina and got back late Sunday night ... and well, I spaced it.  But this week's devos are awesome!  I pulled them from my Made to Crave study I've been working through over the past couple months.  This week is simple, but if you really take some time to think about these verses by answering the questions, they can really give you some perspective!  Have a wonderful week!  I love you all bunches!

Sunday, April 13^th – Read Ephesians 5:25-33

What does this passage teach about daily dependence on God?

What significance does this passage have for my life in Christ?

Monday, April 14^th – Read Philippians 3:18-19

What does this passage teach about daily dependence on God?

What significance does this passage have for my life in Christ?

Tuesday, April 15^th – Read Revelation 2:17

What does this passage teach about daily dependence on God?

What significance does this passage have for my life in Christ?

Wednesday, April 16^th – Read Psalm 73:23-26

What does this passage teach about daily dependence on God?

What significance does this passage have for my life in Christ?

Thursday, April 17^th – Read Lamentations 3:22-26

What does this passage teach about daily dependence on God?

What significance does this passage have for my life in Christ?

Friday, April 18^th – Read Matthew 6:9-13

What does this passage teach about daily dependence on God?

What significance does this passage have for my life in Christ?

Saturday, April 19^th – Read Deuteronomy 8:3

What does this passage teach about daily dependence on God?

What significance does this passage have for my life in Christ?

SoZo Devotionals: Romans

Hello, again!
I hope, if you've been working through the SoZo devotionals, that you're soaking in some good Truth and thinking more on the things of the Lord.  That is the goal of daily devotionals ... to refocus our minds on the Lord.  With all the distractions and worries and frustrations of this life, we need to REFOCUS on what and who is most important.  Taking just a few minutes out of each day, putting these Truths into practice, and practicing dwelling on the Lord through prayer and thankfulness each day helps us refocus.  I hope you will keep practicing your faith with me!

This week, our devotionals are pretty simple but may take a little extra time.  But you be the judge!  You can rewrite EACH verse, or just pick out the verses that speak to you the most.  This is YOUR devotional time, so make the most of it!  You will be reading through Romans chapter 8, probably one of my top-ten favorite chapters in the Bible.  Each day, read the suggested verses, and then rewrite each verse, putting it in your own words ... another way to think about each verse is to ask, "What does this verse mean?" and then write it down.  And don't forget to spend a few minutes in prayer ... whether you journal your prayers, pray them out loud, or find another way to pray.  Don't be afraid to pour out your heart to God, like it says in Psalm 62:8.  Just talk to Him like you would talk to a friend.

We're starting on Monday this week!
Monday, March 31st - Read Romans 8:1-8.
Spend some time rewriting each of these verses, asking yourself, "What does this verse mean?"
And pray. :)

Tuesday, April 1st - Read Romans 8:9-11.
Rewrite.
Pray. :)

Wednesday, April 2nd - Read Romans 8:12-17.
Rewrite.
Pray. :)

Thursday, April 3rd - Read Romans 8:18-25.
Rewrite.
Pray. :)

Friday, April 4th - Read Romans 8:26-30.
Rewrite.
Pray. :)

Saturday, April 5th - Read Romans 31-39.
Rewrite.
Pray. :)

Have a wonderful first week of April, y'all!  Spring is coming ... we just don't know when! ;)  Be thankful anyway!  That's what I'm gonna keep trying to practice!  Love you guys! :)

SoZo Devotionals: Just some cool Scriptures :)

Hey, you guys!  Here are some Scriptures God has been showing me over the past couple of weeks.  Hope you get a chance to do some devos this week, whether these or some others you have found.  Let's keep practicing knowing God better every single day! :)

Sunday, March 23rd - Read Psalm 86:10-12
~ v. 10 - List the "wondrous things" God has done in your life recently.
~ v. 11 - This verse talks about an "undivided heart."  What things in your life distract you from the Lord?  What things cause your heart to be divided?
~ v. 12 - Write down some things you're thankful for ... and then take some time to thank God for 'em!
I just finished my book, Too Busy Not To Pray by Bill Hybels, and he suggested journaling/examining your life and praying what you write down.  It's a great way to practice prayer! ... Take some time to examine your life today (or if you're a morning devo-er, examine your life yesterday).  Write down some attitudes/sins/joys/experiences from today ... and pray through them.

Monday, March 24th - Read Psalm 73:23-26
~ v. 23 - What do you need comfort for today?
~ v. 24 - What do you need wisdom (counsel) for in your life right now?
~ v. 25 - Do you really desire God above all else?  What/Who is standing in your way of desiring God?
~ v. 26 - Think about what you're going through these days ... how can applying the Truth of this verse give you strength?
Take some time to examine your life today.

Tuesday, March 25th - Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
~ What do you think it means for our bodies to be "temples of the Holy Spirit"?
~ We were "bought with a price."  What was that price?  What will be your response to that price?
~ How can you treat your body as a temple to the glory of God?
Take some time to examine your life again today.

Wednesday, March 26th - Read Psalm 46:10
~ In the NASB, this verse says "Cease striving, and know that I am God."  Look up the definition of strive.
~ When is is good to strive?  When is it bad to strive?
~ Why would God want us to "cease striving" and "be still"?
~ How/when can you practice being still in your life?
Take some time to examine yourself.

Thursday, March 27th - Read Isaiah 6:1-8
~ What was Isaiah's response to seeing God in all His holiness and power?
~ What sin are you struggling with right now?  Read and pray through Psalm 139:23-24.
~ v. 7 - God offers us the same forgiveness.  What kind of comfort does this promise bring you?
Don't forget to spend some time examining your life today!

Friday, March 28th - Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
~ v. 16 - What would it take for you to be joyful everyday, even when things are hard?
~ v. 17 - What does your prayer life look like?  How can you practice praying more often?
~ v. 18 - How does being thankful help you accomplish God's will?
Examine yourself.

Saturday, March 29th - Read Proverbs 3:5-6
~ Why is it difficult to trust in the Lord?
~ How can you put your trust in the Lord into practice this week?
Spend some time praying, examining your life today.

SoZo Devotionals: Philippians

On Sunday, Pastor challenged us, the congregation, to read through the book of Philippians this week.  So our SoZo devotionals for this week will be made up of just that ... the book of Philippians. :)  Pastor also told us that the main theme of Philippians is JOY.  Yay!  Joy is a wonderful thing ... especially when we learn to LIVE it in our everyday lives!
Look below for this week's daily devotionals ....

Sunday, March 16th - Read Philippians chapter 1.
Describe the joy you feel when you think about how God's not done with you yet (Phil. 1:6).

What joy do you find in this prayer? --> Phil. 1:9-11

What joy can be found in dying (Phil. 1:21)?

Character is being and acting in the same way whether people are watching your life or you are in secret.  What joy can be found in living with character (Phil. 1:27)?

Monday, March 17th - Read Philippians 2:1-11.
What joy is there in putting other people's needs before your own (Phil. 2:3-4)?

When you think about what Jesus went through for your salvation, explain how Jesus' sacrifice affects your joy (Phil. 2:5-11).

Tuesday, March 18th - Read Philippians 2:12-30.
How do you feel knowing that your ability to do good in this world can only come from God and not from yourself (Phil. 2:13)?

How do you think doing everything without complaining affects your joy (Phil. 2:14)?

Wednesday, March 19th - Read Philippians 3:1-11.
How can having the perspective that nothing compares with Christ bring you joy (Phil. 3:7-11)?

Thursday, March 20th - Read Philippians 3:12-21.
How can keeping your mind fixed on the prize of heaven give you joy (Phil. 3:12-14)?

What do you think about Philippians 3:20-21?  Do these verses give you joy?  If yes, then how so?

Friday, March 21st - Read Philippians 4:1-9.
How can pouring out your heart to God bring you joy (Phil. 4:6-7)?

How are peace and joy related (Phil. 4:7)?

How can thinking about and doing godly things bring you joy (Phil. 4:8)?

Saturday, March 22nd - Read Philippians 4:10-23.
How can practicing contentment bring you joy (Phil. 4:11-12)?

What do you think about Philippians 4:19?  Does this verse give you joy?  If yes, then how so?

Have a wonderful week, my favorites!  Love you all! :)

R1211 part 1.1

Time for some more ZEAL talk!

Romans 12:11 - Do not be slothful in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord.

Zealous living is living with PURPOSE, PERSPECTIVE, and PERSISTENCE.
Today, we will focus on PURPOSE.
Purpose - "that which a person sets before himself (herself) as an object to be reached or accomplished"
Purpose = Goal

What gives you purpose in life?
What things do you set before yourself to accomplish?

It could be your New Year's Resolutions.  It could be your bucket list.  It could be a day to day thing or a weekly or yearly thing.  It could be something you never think you'll achieve but you keep trying.  It could be something you achieve everyday. ... For me, my greatest purpose in life is to love and honor and serve Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord.  This is my greatest goal.  I work on it everyday.  I fail at it too.  But I keep working on it.  Some of my other purposes are loving and serving my husband, loving and teaching my SoZo kids, being an encourager, continually growing as a person and a Christian, making better habits for myself concerning my health, and learning to be more thankful and more faithful.

Go grab your Bible, and read Exodus 1:8-22.
Now read verse 17 again.
"But the midwives feared God ..."
Purpose for the midwives who saved the Hebrew babies was to please God, not men.  I love that PURPOSE!  I want that purpose to be MINE!  I want to focus on pleasing God no matter what the cost.  'Cause it was probably pretty dangerous for those midwives to disobey the Pharaoh.  I bet some of them were mistreated, at the very least, because they disobeyed.  But I bet many were also tortured and even killed!  That's serious!  But they FEARED GOD and did the right thing.  Awesome!
Check out Colossians 3:17, 1 Peter 1:3-4, and Titus 2:11-14 before you go.  These are some great verses that give us PURPOSE to live by!

PURPOSE = HOPE = PERSPECTIVE = BLESSED

R1211 part 1

Romans is an incredible book of the Bible!  If you haven't read it (or read it recently), you need to and very soon!  Romans 12 is probably my favorite chapter of the book, and verses 9-21 are full of awesome and practical ways to live for the Lord.  I recently got stuck on verse 11 when it says, "Do not be slothful in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord."  So, as I often do when God teaches me something cool, I've been sharing my ponderings about this verse with my SoZo-ers.  I originally started out thinking I would teach three separate lessons, seeing as the verse is broken up into three distinct parts.  Well ... the study started the first week of December, and we haven't even gotten to "be fervent in the Spirit" yet.  Haha!  Being zealous for the Lord is loaded!  And we've been digging deep, thinking about what that means and how to BE ZEALOUS in our everyday lives.  So my R1211 posts, as I'm going to call them, are all about my ponderings about Romans 12:11.

Romans 12:11
Do not be slothful in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord.

"DO NOT BE SLOTHFUL IN ZEAL."
Zeal means "eager interest and enthusiasm or passionate devotion."  Pretty cool, huh?  What are you super interested in and enthusiastic about?  To what or whom are you passionately devoted?  Really ... think about it for a second.

--- I don't get to dance these days, but I'm super enthusiastic about dancing!  Ballroom and West Coast Swing dancing were so cool when I had the chance to do 'em!  I was entirely interested in learning how to dance.  I was at the dance studio every week night and most Saturdays for about a year and a half.  And when I transferred to a new studio, I was there every Tuesday night for a lesson and two Friday nights and two Sunday afternoons a month for nearly another year.  I was probably considered passionately devoted to dance.  It was so cool! ---

I want to say I'm that excited about and devoted to Jesus.  I think I can say that ... now.  This year is off to a great start!  I've been excited about the 60-day reading challenge that my church is doing.  I've been reading really great books about all kinds of ways to grow in the Lord.  I'm growing (slowly) in my prayer life.  I'm learning to be faithful and thankful.  And I've just been excited and content in the Lord lately. ... But, maybe you struggle with this too, my zeal for God comes and goes.  Blah.  I hate that, but it does.  In some seasons of life, I am super zealous.  In other seasons, often when things are "hunky dory" or I'm frustrated with God or prayer or something going on in my life at the time, not so much.  Sometimes, I am slothful in zeal. ... And I don't wanna be slothful ... ever.

Here are a few ways we can be zealous INSTEAD OF slothful ... you may need your Bible for this part! ;)
~ We need to run from being lazy in our faith (Acts 6:1-4)
~ We must stay focused ... we need to get rid of the things that distract us from Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2)
~ We must be unafraid ... let's not worry about what other people think about us or be afraid of the future or things that are unknown to us; but instead, let's do what's right and live for Jesus (Deuteronomy 31:6-8)
~ We need to get excited about what Jesus is doing in our lives and let it show (Philippians 4:4) ... Oh!  And if you don't know what Jesus is doing in your life, you need to pick up your Bible and READ IT more often!  You need to TALK TO Jesus some, yo! :)

And why is it so important to live zealous (passionately devoted) lives for the Lord?
Look up John 3:16 and Romans 5:8 to find your answer!
BECAUSE JESUS LOVES US AND DIED FOR US!
Even when we were totally separated from Him, even when we were His ENEMIES, Christ died for us ... so that we can have LIFE ... and live that life abundantly and zealously. :)

Stay tuned for more ponderings about ZEAL :)

SoZo: Jesus was Fervent

Hey, SoZo!

We were so sad to have to cancel Sunday School AND our Sunday night group today because of the snow.  We miss you guys!  But the snow sure is beautiful, and maybe you get a day off school?  I know I got the day off work tomorrow.  Haha!  Anyway ... I wanted to share a devotional with y'all.  And don't forget to check out the Calvary 60-day reading challenge (provided at the end of this post) ... let's get into God's Word all the more this year, shall we?

Here we go ...

I've been reading through Matthew as part of the 60-day challenge, and here is one part of the reading I thought was pretty cool ....

Matthew 4:1-11 - Go grab your Bible, and read this passage.
We're studying Romans 12:11 on Sunday mornings, and the middle part of that verse says "be fervent in the Spirit."  This temptation of Jesus passage reminds me of being fervent in the Spirit because Jesus was fervent in the Spirit.  Now, He was (is) GOD, so He had just a bit of an advantage here (haha!), but He had to be fervent in the Spirit (focused on His Father and in constant communication with Him) in order to say NO to Satan in these situations.  He was stinkin' hungry afterall!  I love His responses ... take a minute to think about each one.

- "Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." (v. 4)
What does it mean to live on every word out of the mouth of God?
HOW do we do that?

- "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." (v. 7)
What does it mean to test God?
Why is testing God so serious?

- "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only." (v. 10)
Why should we worship God ONLY?
What idols (things you put before God) are in your life now that you need to get rid of?
HOW will you get rid of them?

God is so faithful, you guys.  He loves you so much and has such plans for you.  One of the many plans He has for you is to GROW in your love for and understanding of Him.  He wants a personal relationship with you!  So take the time to get to know Him better this year.  Let's GO DEEPER!

Love you all! :)

Day 1 - Matthew 1-4 /// Day 2 - Matthew 5-7 /// Day 3 - Matthew 8-13 /// Day 4 - Matthew 14-18 /// Day 5 (today!) - Matthew 19-25 /// Day 6 - Matthew 26-28 /// Day 7 - Ephesians /// Day 8 - 1 Peter /// Day 9 - Titus /// Day 10 - 1 Corinthians 1-8 /// Day 11 - 1 Corinthians 9-16 /// Day 12 - Mark 1-5 /// Day 13 - Mark 6-11 /// Day 14 - Mark 12-16 /// Day 15 - 1 John /// Day 16 - James /// Day 17 - 1 Timothy /// Day 18 - Romans 1-4 /// Day 19 - Romans 5-8 /// Day 20 - Romans 9-11 /// Day 21 - Romans 12-16 /// Day 22 - Acts 1-3 /// Day 23 - Acts 4-7 /// Day 24 - Acts 8-11 /// Day 25 - Acts 12-15 /// Day 26 - Acts 16-20 /// Day 27 - Acts 21-24 /// Day 28 - Acts 25-28 /// Day 29 - Colossians /// Day 30 - Philemon /// Day 31 - Galatians /// Day 32 - Luke 1-5 /// Day 33 - Luke 6-10 /// Day 34 - Luke 11-15 /// Day 35 - Luke 16-21 /// Day 36 - Luke 22-24 /// Day 37 - Hebrews 1-3 /// Day 38 - Hebrews 4-7 /// Day 39 - Hebrews 8-10 /// Day 40 - Hebrews 11-13 /// Day 41 - 2 & 3 John /// Day 42 - 1 Thessalonians /// Day 43 - 2 Corinthians 1-7 /// Day 44 - 2 Corinthians 8-13 /// Day 45 - John 1-3 /// Day 46 - John 4-6 /// Day 47 - John 7-9 /// Day 48 - John 10-12 /// Day 49 - John 13-15 /// Day 50 - John 16-17 /// Day 51 - John 18-21 /// Day 52 - 2 Thessalonians /// Day 53 - Philippians /// Day 54 - 2 Peter & Jude /// Day 55 - 2 Timothy /// Day 56 - Revelation 1-5 /// Day 57 - Revelation 6-9 /// Day 58 - Revelation 10-13 /// Day 59 - Revelation 14-18 /// Day 60 - Revelation 19-22

Currently (January 2014)

Yay!  These posts are so fun!  I'm stealing this idea from Emily again. :)

Currently, I am ...

PROUD.  Yep.  I am a prideful person.  Haha!  I've been learning a lot about myself in this first year of marriage.  Partially 'cause it's my first year of marriage and partially 'cause I've been growing in my walk with Jesus.  Always a good thing, right?  It's always good to grow, but sometimes, we find ugly things in our spirits when we grow.  And God's been teaching me a lot about my prideful spirit.  I am learning that being a perfectionist is, beneath the surface, a heart issue ... and ultimately, pride.  So I am striving to overcome my perfectionist/prideful tendencies.

THINKING ... about how ungrateful I can be at times.  About 3 months after we moved into our apartment (around June or July of last year), we put up some long-awaited home decor that I was oober excited about!  I've been wanting to put up the rest of our picture frames and wall decor for months and months, and today, I convinced Darrell to help me ... I got my hopes up.  But then our power screw driver didn't work, so we couldn't put anything up.  And instead of just letting it go and finding something else to do, I sulked.  And all of a sudden, I started feeling bored and mad and woe is me and just plain ungrateful.  Isn't it funny how a bad attitude can hit so hard and so quick sometimes?  Lame.  So I prayed for some perspective, and I got this ... I am bored and upset over picture frames on this snowed-in day while probably thousands of people around Indianapolis are living on the streets in this quickly-accumulating snow and soon-to-be frigid temperatures!  Double lame.  So needless to say, I started feeling thankful.  Thankfully.

FEELING ... incredibly blessed!  Ha!  I was feeling unthankful and frustrated and bored, and now, I'm feeling so blessed for our cozy, cute, little apartment, for extra time with my hubby today because we're snowed in, for extra money to put on debt this year (we took some time to look at our budget earlier today), for salvation and purpose in Jesus ... and so many other things.

WATCHING ... at this very moment, we're watching the Cincinnati Bengals lose to the San Diego Chargers (27-10) ... sorry, Cincy. .... Darrell and I have been watching a decent amount of Dr. Who, and over my break from workin' at the school, I've been watching some fun animated movies - Lilo and Stitch 2, Kronk's New Groove, and Pocahontas 2.  Nice ...

EXCITED ... about growing in Jesus and spending time with my SoZo kids and being married to the most wonderful man in the world and reading lots of good books and paying off more debt ... all in 2014 :)

READING ... Ha!  What am I NOT reading right now?  Wow!  I am trying to read several books right now.  My Bible ... Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst ... Jesus Calling by Sarah Young ... Conversation Peace by Mary Kassian ... Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman ... and I think I'm gonna return The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers to the church library until I can get some of these other books read.  Haha!

MISSING ... my friend, Emily, Pastor Mike and Shelley, my size 14 jeans (but I'm gonna get 'em back!), the Higher Ground group from back in the day, our 20somethings group (but we should be meeting again this Wednesday - yay!), and church ... it was cancelled for the first time in like 7 years!

WONDERING ... what the future will bring.  We've been looking into prophecies and seeing the signs of them being fulfilled lately ... Jesus is coming back SOON!  So thankful GOD is in control, not us!

WORKING ... not much lately.  I've been off from my job for just over two weeks 'cause the kids are on Christmas break.  And I get another day off tomorrow because of all the snow!  But I've been thinking a lot about SoZo for this year and doing some work with that ... and I've been cleaning the apartment a bit more on break and cooking a bit more.

STRESSED ... thankfully, I haven't been stressed for quite a while.  Just been growing in thankfulness ... and it's just a great season of life.

WANTING ... to be more of a servant and faithful and thankful and purpose-driven and encouraging and intentional and loving.  I also want to pay off our debt completely and have our little Zeke and Hadassah sometime in the near future.

DRINKING ... more water and all kinds of TEA!!! :)  My mom's bookstore/cafe'/tea shop is going out of business, so she ordered a bunch of tea for me before closing day.  I've got at least 8 POUNDS of yummy tea leaves ... all kinds of great flavors ... ready to drink away!  Mmmm ...

EATING ... fewer carbs and less sugar and more meat and veggies.  And I'm about to make some steak and veggies and potatoes for dinner.  Wahoo!

WISHING ... we could get out and do something today ... just kinda antsy today.  But we're all snowed in, and everything is closed.

LOVING ... my beautiful, loving husband ... my church family ... my godly and generous parents and in-laws ... our cozy, cute, little apartment ... and just feeling thankful and content these days.

You all should steal this post too!  Have a great Sunday, and stay safe and warm if you're snowed in too!

My Turn :)

I read Emily's New Year's post and Hannah's New Year's post ... now it's my turn to write one! :)

Life is crazy!  Life is constantly changing!  Life is so unstable ... unstable if you don't have Jesus, that is.  And life on this planet is only gonna get crazier and less stable because Jesus is coming back - and soon!  His return is closer than ever, and that is exciting and scary at the same time!  In 2014, I want my life to be all about growing to be more like Jesus ... finding ways to love and serve more intentionally, going deeper in my personal Bible study and prayer times and challenging my SoZo kidos to do the same, being more of an encourager.  I wanna do and be all of these things for God's glory, so that I will grow and be challenged, so that other people will see the power of Jesus through my life!  It's so exciting to live for Jesus! ... I think we, Christians but me the most, lose this perspective on a regular basis.  Being a Christian is an adventure!  There is room to grow in every circumstance, in every relationship, in every personal quiet time.  We just have to dig deep and focus on the Lord instead of ourselves.  I am a professional selfish person, but I am growing into more of an others-centered person slloowwly but surely. :) I try everyday.  And I will keep trying!  And I am so excited to see what EACH DAY of 2014 has to bring.  Not only is 2014 an adventure with God, but EACH DAY of 2014 is an adventure!  Moment by moment, let's fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith AND our lives!  Let's go deeper, live more abundantly, and be even more thankful EACH DAY of this New Year, shall we?

This is where you say ... YES!  Yes, we shall. ;)

What are some of your hopes and dreams for this year?  Here are some of mine ... :)

GO DEEPER --- Follow through with my church's 60-day Bible reading challenge and then keep going! --- Become a prayer warrior --- Read more books --- Grow in thankfulness --- Grow in faithfulness --- Do good --- Send more letters of encouragement --- Find ways for the youth group to serve more consistently --- Help our youth group and college-age kids go deeper in their faith --- Provide daily devotionals for the SoZo-ers EVERY week this year --- Keep learning to communicate WELL with my husband --- Make better choices concerning food and exercise --- Be more intentional in my relationships --- Drink more water --- Follow the Dave Ramsey plan wholeheartedly (and with our whole wallet) --- Pay off debt --- Visit some old folks --- Blog more --- Sing more with my husband --- Get some perspective about my perfectionism (pride) --- Be more of a servant --- Give more

I'm sure the list could keep going if I thought long and hard enough ... but that's a great start, don'tcha think?  Let's keep growing and overcoming and loving EACH and EVERY DAY, okay?? :)  Okay!  Happy New Year, y'all! :)

Thankfulness and Perspective ... here and there

God has been teaching me so much about thankfulness and perspective over that past several months.  I have made some tangible progress too!  But I have quite a ways to go too.  One day last week, the morning after the first snow of the season, I was outside scraping my car before heading to work.  When I first got to my car, there was a woman nearby scraping off her car and complaining about how cold it was, and then I saw a man next to me, cussing and letting out some frustration about the ice and snow on his windshield.  But for some reason, I was overwhelmed with thankfulness.  Now, don't get me wrong ... it was COLD!  The snow and ice were very obnoxious and inconvenient.  But I was thankful.  Freezing temperatures, an early morning for a not so early bird, and a good amount of inconvenience.  You know it was the Holy Spirit at work in me!  Haha!  But I can genuinely say I was thankful.  I was thankful that I had a car to scrape off.  I was thankful I had a car with a heater that works.  I was thankful for gloves and a hat and a coat and a car scraper (with a brush!).  I was thankful I had a job and a reliable car to get me there.  I was thankful for a cozy, warm, and cute apartment to live in with my beautiful husband.  I was thankful for a godly, loving family and a wonderful church family.  I was thankful for Jesus. ... Do you see where I'm going with this?  One thought of thankfulness lead to another ... so much so that I was CRYING on my way to work!  Haha!  I was just overwhelmed ... thanking God and praying for people who don't have all of the same wonderful blessings.  Thankfulness really does change everything.  When we're thankful, we are way more likely to have and maintain an eternal perspective.  We begin to see people and circumstances with the eyes of Jesus, with all patience and understanding and compassion.  I wanna see life with those eyes, don't you?

Now, I do need to tell you ... so that you don't think I'm some super Christian ('cause you think that, right? Ha! Riiigghht ... ;)) ... At our apartment complex, we don't have washers and dryers in the apartments.  We have a laundry room in the clubhouse at the end of the complex.  So Monday night, we had a huge pile of laundry to do.  So we had to pack up our car with 4 loads of laundry and drive it down to the end of the complex ... in the cold ... on one of our only nights to relax ... using $12 in quarters ... in the cold (did I mention that already?).  And then one of the dryers stole $1.50 of our quarters without drying our clothes.  And I could only scrounge up $1.25 in quarters from my wallet.  So I had to drive across the street to a gas station to trade for quarters ... in the cold ... at 10:00 at night ... you get the picture. ... I'm sure you've guessed by now that my heart was not thankful, and my perspective was not godly.  I was a huge grumpy face!  I even said, "I wish it wasn't so hard to be thankful in this situation, but I just can't think of anything to be thankful for!"  When there was so much to be thankful for!  If nothing else, I had CLOTHES to get dirty!  I had money to pay for the laundry.  I had a cozy, heated apartment to live in. ... So, yeah.  I am SLOWLY growing in thankfulness, which in turn, helps me grow in my eternal perspective.  But it is still fairly hit and miss.  But I am growing!  And that is exciting!

Just this morning, Darrell's car wouldn't start - dead battery.  And I had to take him to work.  Then get to my job.  He was struggling to be thankful ... that's a nice way of putting it. ;)  And I was grateful that I could be patient and understanding and thankful when he could not.  It's such a blessing when one of us can be strong when the other is weak.  He does it for me all the time, so I was thankful I could be that for him.  And I just feel thankful today ... thankful that we have another car to use today ... thankful that we have the money to replace the battery in his car ... thankful that we both have good jobs ... thankful for each other ... thankful for the Holy Spirit, who works in our lives. :)

It's definitely imperfect progress ... but it's progress.
God is faithful.  Keep striving to be thankful, y'all! :)